Keighley's defence wins the plaudits against Skipton

Few spectators could have been disappointed by the quality of play served up by two energetic and in-ventive teams in this hard-fought derby.

In the end, Keighley’s forward strength and pace in the backs prevailed, although, despite the scoreline, it was always tight.

The difficult conditions underfoot did not prevent adventurous rugby by both sides. Keighley had the better of the opening exchanges and came close to a try when wingman Jimmy Anson just failed to touch down after Alex Brown’s chip to the line.

It was, however, Skipton who edged ahead. Orchestrated by their wily fly half Adam Oldfield, and with a robust contribution by their pack, they threatened the Keighley line and were twice rewarded when Keighley’s defence was forced into errors, allowing Oldfield to land penalty goals in the tenth and 25th minutes.

At this stage, the visitors were good value for their lead, but Keighley recovered their composure and, aided by astute kicking by half-backs Andy Marklew and Brown, forced play into Skipton territory, from where a neat break by Brown opened the way for wingman Sam Walker to power his way to the line for a well-taken try.

The loss of full back Rob Wilkin-son with a shoulder injury forced a re-arrangement in the Keighley backs, but they continued to take play to the opposition.

Excellent work by man-of-the- match Evan Griffin in particular, and the pack in general, led to Keighley taking effective control for the first time. A great run by skipper Leigh Sugden, supported by Stuart In-man, resulted in a penalty try when Andy Bennett was denied a touchdown by obstruction close to the line, Brown adding the conversion to give Keighley a 12-6 lead.

The Utley side strengthened their grip on the game in the second half without ever dominating. Sugden was a regular threat and backs Marklew, Anson and re-placement Adam Horsfall were always looking for an opening.

The try-line, however, evaded them and with Skipton’s discipline letting them down, it was left to the sure-footed Brown to keep the scoreboard moving with three penalty goals.

With Walker in the sin bin, the visitors rallied in the final minutes and pressed on the Keighley line.

The 14-man defence held out, however, highlighting the statistics which show them to have one of the best defensive records in the league.